• When the time is right, replace your old heating and cooling system with a high-efficiency unit. And consider a geothermal system, which is about 200% more efficient and may qualify for low-interest financing.
• Up to a third of your electric bill can come from air leakage alone. So check windows and doors, then insulate, caulk and weatherstrip.
• Make sure attics and walls are properly insulated. Adding insulation in your attic is one of the most cost-effective do-it-yourself savings measures.
• The key to cooling is air flow, so clean or change air conditioner filters monthly. Make sure that air vents are clear of furniture or anything that obstructs air flow.
• Use fans to assist air flow. A ceiling fan uses about as much electricity as a lightbulb, and much less than an air conditioner.
• In summer, set thermostats at the highest comfortable temperature — 76 degrees or higher. Each degree a thermostat is lowered can add 3%-4% to cooling costs.
• In winter, leave the thermostat at a comfortable setting. Your home won’t warm any faster if you raise the thermostat setting.

• Turn off lights. Try motion sensors that turn off lights automatically when there’s no activity in a room.
• Automatic on/off timers can reduce your energy use and increase security by making a house seem occupied even when people are away.
• Invest in high-quality, energy-efficient lightbulbs. The price of a bulb is only 5%-10% of the total cost, while the other 90%-95% is the cost of electricity it uses. That’s why compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) are an energy-wise choice.
• Keep fixtures and bulbs clean. Dirt is not only unsightly, but can absorb up to 50% of the light.
• Use dimmers to control the amount of light that you need in a room. Dimming lights by half cuts energy consumption by almost half.

• Set your water heater thermostat at 120°F or lower. A 10°F reduction in temperature reduces chances of scalding and saves about 13% of your water heating costs.
• Place your hand on your water heater tank. If it feels warm, you need a water heater insulation blanket — which can cut energy costs another 13%.
• Replace showerheads with low-flow units, which can save a family of four about 15,000 gallons of hot water per year.
• Install a water softener unit in-line before the water heater to prevent sediment buildup in the tank.

• Don't peek! Each time you open the oven door, the temperature drops 25 to 50 degrees. Avoid lifting pot lids for the same reason.

• Don’t use a full-size oven for small quantities of food. Cooking a potato will cost about a dime in an electric oven, compared to a nickel in a toaster oven, or two cents in a microwave.
• Use glass or ceramic pans instead of metal in ovens. You can lower the temperature about 25°F and cook in the same amount of time.
• Only preheat an oven or broiler when baked goods require a precise starting temperature. If you must preheat, most ovens will preheat in 10 minutes or less.
• Turn off the oven or range a few minutes before the food is done. It’ll still retain enough heat to finish cooking.

• Go cold. Most people in the appliance industry agree that, with modern detergents, cold water washes just as well as warm water.
• Combine two small loads into one full load to cut energy use in half. Your clothes washer uses about the same energy regardless of load size.
• Your dryer is also most efficient when fully loaded. Combine smaller loads of wash into one dryer load (without overloading).
• Same with your dishwasher: it uses the same amount of hot water regardless of how many dishes are loaded. So wash full loads whenever possible.
• When you replace your washer/dryer, consider a front-loading washer, which can reduce energy use by 50% or more, use less water and detergent, reduce drying time, and reduce wear and tear on clothing.

• Properly planted trees give your home cooling shade in the summer and warming sunlight in the winter, helping use energy wisely, slowing fossil fuel demand and creating cleaner air. They can cut cooling costs while lowering heating costs by blocking “wind chill.”

• A tree consumes 26 pounds of carbon dioxide per year while giving back pure oxygen, helping restore the environment. Trees also absorb ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide — they even buffer noise pollution.
• While absorbing moisture, roots hold soil in place to reduce erosion from wind and rain. Fields with windbreaks yield more crops than those with no trees nearby.

• Shrubs or smaller trees with a mature height of up to 25 feet should be 15 feet from electric lines.
• Small trees with a mature height of up to 40 feet should be 20 feet away from electric lines.
• Avoid planting large trees with a mature height of more than 40 feet within 50 feet of lines.

Extreme caution should be taken to avoid both overhead and underground lines. Before digging, always have utilities properly located and marked for you by calling One-Call: Oklahoma City Metro: 840.5032 • Outside Oklahoma City: 1.800.522.6543 • In Arkansas: 1.800.482.8998

The principles of directional and proper pruning: If trees are not pruned regularly or correctly, limbs snapped by seasonal storms can cause power loss for you and your neighbors. Our preventative maintenance program partners OG&E with professional tree trimming companies to perform proper limb-cutting strategies.

Directional and proper pruning (collar cuts) will direct tree growth away from power lines. Contractors working with OG&E use proper pruning methods recommended by the National Arborist Association and the International Society of Arboriculture. Directional pruning is the selective removal of branches that grow toward the power lines. Proper pruning is the method of cutting branches close to the branch base, or collar. This allows the cut to callus over, reducing the risk of disease or decay. OG&E strives to prune only the amount necessary to provide safe and reliable service until the next pruning cycle.

• Don’t use a contractor who wants to size your unit solely on your home’s square footage. A contractor should spend time examining your house, measuring floors, ceilings and walls — including all the windows — and checking insulation in the attic, walls and crawlspaces. Some other factors that go into the cooling load formula include indoor and outdoor temperatures, number of occupants, shading, siding and roof. Contractors should calculate how much cooling a home needs according to guidelines such as the Air Conditioning Contractors of America's Manual J.
• Insist on getting a printout or copy of the cooling load calculations. These can be useful in comparing bids from contractors. If the calculations do not include at least all the items mentioned above, check with the contractor.
• Check for duct leaks — be sure ducts that are disconnected, crushed or too small for the system do not restrict air flow. Ideally, the contractor should use diagnostic equipment to find leaks and then fix them with quality duct sealants (not duct tape). In short, don’t buy a larger air conditioner simply to cool your attic or crawlspace.
• Buy a high-efficiency unit — central air conditioners are rated by SEER, or Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio. If you are replacing an existing air conditioner, you must replace the whole unit, including the inside coil and often the blower fan, to achieve the rated efficiency.
• Install for ease of maintenance — make sure the inside coil can be reached for cleaning. The contractor may have to install an access panel, depending on the model. The coil should be cleaned every two years. The air filter should be located where it is easy to remove. Check it every month during the summer, and change or clean it whenever it is dirty.
• Place outside unit on north or east side of the house, out of direct sunlight. Leave plenty of room for free air flow on all sides, and at least four feet at the top. Keep the area free of debris and shrubbery.

• If your pool is heated (other than solar), set a timer to start the pump no earlier than 6 AM. This is the time when nightly heat losses stabilize. Also, turn off your heater when the pool is not used for extended periods of time.
• With a pool timer and Time-of-Use rates, pool owners can save more money. TOU rewards decrease usage during June through September — so receive a much lower rate during off-peak hours by paying a higher rate during our peak load hours (excluding weekends and holidays). During the winter season, Time-of-Use customers revert to our standard rates.
• One complete water turnover per 24 hours will provide adequate filtering.
• Consider a solar heating loop — if your pool is in year-round use, it will often pay for the system in less than ten years.
• Use or install a pool cover — they can reduce your pool heating costs by 30%. Pool covers that contain UV inhibitors are more durable. Transparent or translucent “solar” covers are most effective at warming your pool because they allow sunshine to warm the pool. Using a pool cover not only saves energy, it reduces water evaporation — for a 450-square-foot pool, you will save approximately 4,000 gallons of water annually.
• Lowering your pool temperature not only saves energy but will also reduce the amount of chemicals required to treat the pool.
• Sheltering your pool from winds reduces both heat loss and water evaporation. Decorative landscaping is a creative way to accomplish this. Fencing is another effective windbreak.
• An electric hot tub will cost roughly $4 to heat from 70° to 100°F, and then about $1 per day to maintain that temperature. So if you're not going to use your hot tub for the next four days, you will save energy by turning it off.
• Lowering the water temperature of your hot tub can significantly reduce your energy use.
• Cover your hot tub whenever it is not being used; this can save you up to $50 per year if you use electricity to heat your water.